A Thank-You Gift
by LaynieCakes
Summary: Starting with that day by the river, there are so many things Erza is thankful to Gray for. So she decides to get him a present! First Fairy Tail fanfic! R
1. Opening up to the rest

**This is my first Fairy Tail fan fiction! :D Sorry for any OOC-ness. This story is in Gray's point of view, and I've never written a story in first person before. Though this chapter is a recap of Gray's memories in episode 37 to make it longer I added some stuff.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail it belongs to Hiro Mashima. **

Cana was telling my fortune, and failing at that. She told me that today is filled with luck or something. But today's been anything but that.

"Can't you just be happy about having some luck?" she asks, looking pretty annoyed with me. Probably cause I was doubting her skills as a wizard, telling her to redo my fortune.

"Luck, my butt. First I fell into a ditch this morning and then I lost my wallet…" I start. The guild doors open. "Today's been a horrible day!" I finish, only just noticing some girl walking in.

This girl had short, red hair and an eye patch on her right eye. The dress she was wearing was torn and tattered, it was white and she was carrying a sack over her shoulder. She mutters something but I couldn't hear her.

She walks up to the counter and asks where the person in charge is. One of the guild's waitresses goes to get Gramps; he comes out to see the redheaded girl. "And what would your name be?" Gramps asks the girl that looks about my and Cana's age. The redhead spoke "Erza." And that's all she said pretty much the entire day. The only other thing she said was that she wants to join the guild and that she uses requip magic. Gramps of course let Ezra or Erza or whatever her name is join, cause he's Gramps, he gives everyone a chance.

Gramps calls to that waitress. "Dahlia, get this young girl some new clothes and a Fairy Tail mark, we have ourselves a new member."**(I made up a name :P)** Everyone cheers, excited that we're getting a new member, but her face stays blank. I don't trust her, I just don't like her. She seems like she won't fit in here.

A few days passed and everyone pretty much gave up. Erza just won't talk to anyone. "That girl won't talk to anyone." Cana says, apparently reading my mind. "Then why don't _you_ talk to her?" I say back.

Cana sighs "She just ignored me like crazy."

"Well, I don't like her. She comes here and doesn't even introduce herself to The Great Gray." I say proudly smiling at myself.

"Since when do you call yourself that?" Cana says, apparently not appreciating my awesomeness. I just ignore her.

Since Erza didn't officially introduce herself to me, I'll just introduce myself to her. '_Maybe then_ _she'll she how great I am.'_ I think as I walk up to her. "Hey, you" I say.

No response. She just keeps eating her bread.

I clench my teeth and fists, _'Is she __**really**__ ignoring me?' _I don't like this girl one bit, so I do what any 10 year-old boy would do, I kick something to get her attention. That something being the table she's eating at. She looks mad, but at least it worked.

"What's the big idea?" she says, _clearly_ ticked off. Good, annoying her made her talk and her talking means that she not ignoring me.

"This is a wizards' guild, don't be wearing amour round' here." I say, pretty confident in myself. Then _she_ decides that she isn't gonna let me win.

"Well at least I _wear_ clothes," she says, probably pointing out that I'm in my underwear "what is this place, a perverts' guild?" she says pretty bluntly. The whole guild bursts out laughing. "That one's got a mouth, doesn't she?" I hear someone say. Oh now it was on, I not gonna accept her insulting me like that so, I challenge her.

Erza rolls her eyes, well, _eye_ at first, but she does except my challenge. And that is all that matters. Now she can see how cool I am, I can already picture her beggin' for mercy. :3

Now we're in the East Forest, me and Erza stand facing each other, ready for battle. I throw my fist at her, but she blocks it. Now she's somehow behind me and she kicks me in the head, and man does it hurt! Before I knew it I was passed out on the ground, Erza won. Now I _really_ hate her.

I guess Erza dragged me back into the guild, cause I woke up there. The first thing I see waking up is Cana, smiling at me like she knows somethin.

"She beat you in two seconds, didn't she?" she says holding back a laugh. "Well what would you know?!" I say jumping up, fists clenched yelling at her. I storm out of the guild, I don't care if people think its childish, cause I _am_ a kid, so what does it matter? '_Stupid Erza, I make her pay, she __**will**__ be beggin for mercy one day!'_ **(I just realized that Gray's thoughts just now rhymed :0 MAGICAL)** She _will_ pay, maybe I'm not strong enough to beat her now, but that can be fixed with some training! So I go back to the forest and train my butt off.

No matter how much I train I just can't beat Erza! I swear she's like, some alien or somethin, it just doesn't seem real!

Sitting at a table at the guild, Macao and Wakaba notice my beaten up face. "Hey Gray, did Erza beat you up again?" Macao says "Man you never learn, you must have a crush on her!" Wakaba taunts "SHUT UP!" I yell "She's really something, getting ol' Gray worked up like this!" Wakaba says to Macao. "I'll bet she'll even be in charge one of these days!" Macao says back. That ticks me off; she'll be _in charge _one of these days? What would make her say that, she's barely part of the guild! "I refuse to accept her as one of us!"I say storming out again to find Erza.

It takes a while, but I do find her. She's sitting by a river; one that a lot of people sit by actually.

"Found ya, Erza." I say, then I yell, "Erza I challenge you! I _will_ beat you, once and for all-"

I'm cut off by her turning around, and she was doing the last thing that I thought she would, she's crying. "Oh, it's you." She says, wiping her tears. "Sheesh, you never learn." She says standing up, brave and tall. "All right. Give me your best shot." She says.

I feel my face heat up, _'Blushing?'_ I think to myself "No, uhhh…" My mind goes blank. _'Why was she crying?'_ is all I could think. Truthfully, Erza is so emotionless; I didn't even think she _could_ cry!

"What's the matter? Giving up already?" she says, probably confused with why I wasn't throwing punches at her yet.

"Wh-Why are you always by yourself?" I say, with my face probably still all red. She doesn't' look very shocked when I ask her this, but then she gives me a weak smile... "I like being alone. I feel uneasy around people." She says.

"Then…then why are you crying all alone?" I say a little bit louder and stronger. But I can still feel that dang blush on my face.

This time she looked really shocked, I took the moment to walk over and sit down next to where she's standing.

Then she gives me the cutest freakin smile I've ever seen. Stupid Erza and her nice smiles… "You're not going to fight me today?" she asks. "I can do whatever I want!" I yell.

We just stay there for awhile, and to be honest, it's pretty nice just being here with her. After who knows how long Erza says "We should probably get back to the guild…"

She was right; the sun was already down now. But I wanted to ask her _one_ more thing. "Hey Erza, why _were_ you crying anyway?" I ask

She stiffens up a bit then lets out a 'Hmph' "I wasn't crying!" she says stubbornly, sticking her nose up and walking away. I laugh. Never knew she could be like that.

Back at the guild Erza seemed, _different_. In a good way, but different. She was more open; she actually talked to a few people.

I felt like she was showing us the real her, and she finally felt like my friend, my comrade, my nakama. The Erza that she showed today wasn't _that_ mean; still a little mean though, she was _Erza_.

_'So this is the real Erza, huh?'_ I think to myself, _'Well I guess she isn't __**that**__ bad.'_

**END OF CHAPTER 1**

**How was it? Awesome? Terrible? So-so? Please tell me and review! **

**This story will most likely last 3 or 4 chapters, also please tell me how my Gray POV was. PLEASE! *Gives puppy dog face* R&R**


	2. The comfort she doesn't deserve

**YAY! Chapter two! :D I feel like Erza is a little bit OOC, but, oh well. R&R **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail it belongs to Hiro Mashima. **

Me, Natsu, Lisanna, and Mira were all crouched down behind a bush, figuring out how to deal with a certain redhead.

None of us knew why, but Erza stormed off earlier that day and won't talk to anyone. Well I guess I sorta know why, she's always like this at this time of year, but I've never asked why since that day by the river almost 4 years ago. I asked her what she was crying about and she wouldn't answer.

"What do guys think is wrong with her?" Flame brain asked

"I dunno, but she looks sad." Lisanna answered

"Maybe _Gray_ knows." Mira said looking at me with a creepy smile

I glared at her, she's been up to this for a while, she thinks I like Erza; which_ I do_, but I'm not gonna tell Mira that! If Mira knows somethin the whole guild knows it two seconds later.

"Aye, I think Gray might know too!" Happy sai- WAIT when did Happy get here? "Happy?! Where did you come from?" We all yelled, except for Natsu.

"Happy's been here the whole time." Flame brain pointed out. "Aye" Happy added** (Maybe Happy was in hiding in Natsu's scarf…)**

"…"

_Anyway_, Happy is pretty much Mira's minion. They can both get pretty freakin creepy; especially when it comes to my love life. I just hope Mira doesn't influence Lisanna too much. That would be too much creepy to handle.

"I don't know_ why_ she's like this, but I do know she's like this at the same time every year." I say, hoping Mira would back off. Of course she didn't… "Aha! You may not know _why_ but you still know more than us. That shows that you know more about her. _Anddd….._that _you_ should be the one to comfort her or something!" Mira said, pushing me towards her.

Crap. Why did Mira always have to put me in these situations?

Walking-cautiously-to Erza, I just put out a hand to her. _'Like that would work, she would be too stubborn to take my hand…'_ I thought. I was right; she looked up at me with tears streaming down one side of her face. She looked at my hand, then let out a, 'Hmph' and turned her head away from me.

_'Looks like I have come up with something to say to her…'_

I thought through it for a sec, but I found somethin to say to her. '_Well, here it goes… wish me luck Ul'_

"You know, crying doesn't really suit you. It's probably _the last_ thing someone would expect you to do." I started…no response, not a good sign. "I'd always find you here at this time of year. You'd sit here and cry all alone. But you shouldn't." still no response,"Not that it's wrong to cry; sometimes you gotta. But you shouldn't have to…" I trailed off to look at Erza. Her head was half-facing me now; at least I got a semi-response.

"cause you have the guild here. We're all here to comfort you; you've been here a few years now, you should know that we're all here for you. We all care about you… _I _care about you." That got a response; she blushed a little bit and pressed her face to her legs. _'Crap. Why'd I let that slip out?'_ I felt my face warm up too. _'Mira's gonna blackmail me with this, isn't she?'_

I was going to say more but then Erza cut in, "I don't deserve it…" she whispered "The guilds' comfort, I don't deserve it."

What was she saying she 'doesn't deserve it'?! She's a member of the Fairy Tail family so she does too deserve it!

"I had friends…I betrayed them…" she went on. What did she mean she betrayed them?

Things got quiet after she said that, I was just trying to figure out what to say to that… then an awesome idea popped into my 14-year –old mind.

"Maybe you did betray them," I started…I saw her bottom lip quiver. "But that was the past, and we're your friends now. _We_; Fairy Tail, are your family now, so deserve it or not we will help you and comfort you, cause that's what family does."

She looked up at me more tears on her face than before I said anything. She looked like she was going to cry even harder now… crap.

But then she did exactly what I _didn't_ think she would do, she jumped up and hugged me, sobbing into my chest. I was a bit taken back at first but then I realized that she was just taking my advice. She let me comfort her. So I did holding her close to me I could already imagine Mira tearing up watching all this. So I rubbed my arm against her back and said something along the lines of 'everything's gonna be alright.'

I pressed my lips to her forehead and said, "You have the whole guild that loves you, and cares about you, so you don't need to cry all alone anymore. Didn't already go over this 4 years ago?"

After that she stopped crying, and gave me that cute smile of hers. The one that made me realize there's no one else out there for me but her.

I walked her back to the guild, and of course Mira, Happy, Lisanna, and Toaster oven followed us. I turned around to face them and their mouths were all wide open, don't know if they were impressed or just plain freaked out.

Then Mira started fangirling, Mira being Mira she doesn't really look like the 'fangirl type.'

"OMG thatwasthemostadorablething EVER! When you were like, and she was like, and you were all like "_I_ care about you" and she was all like "I don't deserve your comfort"."

Happy joined in with Mira while Lisanna was trying to calm her down and Toaster oven was trying not to puke.

"I thought that was horrible and disgusting!" Flame brain said sticking his tongue out

"What'd you say?" I said

"I_ said_ that that was horrible and disgusting." That baka said back

"It's true, that that was kinda corny…but corny can be cute!" Mira said

"Aye!" Happy added

Me and that baka already started a fight. "You wanna go Toaster oven?"

"Bring it on Droopy eyes!"

"Enough!" Erza butted in. Me and Natsu were both knocked to the ground and Mira had stopped her fangirling. But then she got an evil grin.

"Oh so you're feeling better Thunder thighs?" Mira taunted, uh-oh

"_What_ did you just call me?" Erza glared

Not too long after that they were the ones fighting.

"Oh so _you_ can fight but-" I started

"Oh shut up!" Erza yelled

I grinned, regular Erza was back, and that's all that matters. Goes to show she should accept the comfort she doesn't deserve.

**CHAPTER 2 END**

**Chapter 2 is done YAY! I was gonna finish this tomorrow but I couldn't fall asleep so I wrote it from about 12:00 A.M. to 4:00 A.M. I think the next chapter will be the final one; you'll get to see what Erza's gift is! R&R **


	3. Her loud actions

**Chapter 3 is up! But as you're reading this, you already know that. Now this story may be over after you finish reading it, but I have some other ideas going around in my head so don't worry! I promise the next story will be longer.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail it belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

I didn't trust Erza when I first met her, now that feeling is coming back to me; maybe because I'm blindfolded walking aimlessly to wherever Erza was taking me. She was pulling me by the wrist with her amor-less hand.

Now that I think about it, she's been actin weird lately. She doesn't talk as much, she always seems in a hurry, and she won't let me walk into town for some reason. Maybe that's where we're going to. I decide to ask even though I already know she won't answer me.

"Oi, Erza, where are we going?" I ask

"You'll know when we get there." She says back. Figures.

After walking for a while I feel Erza stopping me, "We're here." She said, she sounds pretty excited. She takes off my blindfold and then, I see it.

In the center of town there's a big fountain, it has some spell on it so the water doesn't freeze in the winter. But it wasn't the fountain that surprised me, it was the ice sculptures; _my_ ice sculptures, surrounding it. I expected a few different things from Erza, but definitely not this. She even took off her armor this, it must be important to her.

Erza will take off her armor for only a few occasions. But she did look beautiful. She had on a blue winter coat, dark jeans, and black boots. It was probably pretty cold outside to her, it doesn't really affect me. I was wea-wait…WHERE DID MY SHIRT GO?! I decided to let it go since Erza is already used to my habit.

"How." Is all I could say, I turned to her and she had that cute smile on her face again. "They're all your creations, some of them were gifts to me, and others I sort of took…" She said, looking kinda guilty. She may have taken a few of my sculptures, but what she turned them into was amazing. "I got permission from the mayor to do this. This is also why I wouldn't let you walk into town." She finished.

The way she decorated everything was amazing, there were sculptures of anything Christmas related surrounding the fountain, and the Fairy Tail symbol at the top.

"Well, how do you like it? She asked, apparently wanting me to give her a score or something. "I borrowed a landscape designing book for Levy, it was a good thing it had a section on ice sculptures."

I grinned. I knew what I was about to do was cheesy, but I was going to do it anyway.

"Ya know, there's _one_ thing missing…" I started. Erza panicked, "There is, what?!" she said/yelled to me. She started going through everything she did again, trying to see what she missed. Erza was always looking to improve in any way she could. I thought she was cute when she got all nervous like that.

I used my ice magic to make a rose- and yeah it's cheesy, I know-then held it out to her. She snapped out of her nervous tantrum and just looked at the rose for a moment. Then she smiled and laughed slightly.

"Really?" She asked, looking at me with her '_You __**do**__ know how cheesy this is, right?'_ face.

"Yes, really." I said back. She took the rose out of my hand and looked at it closer. "It's lovely." She said.

"But you don't have to give this to me, tonight I was supposed to be thanking _you_." She said, handing it back. _'Figured she'd do somethin like that…'_ I thought. Then I pushed her hand away, "I insist." She laughed slightly.

"What're you thanking me for anyway?" I asked, what _is_ there to thank me for?

"Well for everything I'm thankful to you for." She said in her _'Obviously' _voice. What does she have to thank_ me_ for?

"Like what?" I ask.

"Like what? Well, a lot of things. Like when I first came to the guild, without you I probably would've never opened up to anyone. If you hadn't found me that day by the river, we probably never would've become friends. I would've never become friends with Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and so many other people." She said. I was a little shocked to hear her say that. All of this, all the good times she had, all the good friends she made, because of me? Guess I never looked at it that way.

"There was also that time you let me cry on you, I really needed that at the time. It reassured me that you, that _everyone_ in Fairy Tail was there for me. I needed to be reminded of that. Then there was the time when I was insisting on someone to cut off my arm, so the poison in it wouldn't spread. Lyon agreed to it but you stopped him before he did because there might've been another way. I wouldn't have my arm right now if you hadn't done that; it would've been a big setback to not have my right arm. I _am _right handed." She pointed out. She was right; I did do all that for her. I guess I never thought much of it; Erza's my best friend and I would do anything for her.

"There were _so_ many times that you put me first, comforting me, bringing me to my senses, giving me everything that I really don't deserve. That's why I did this, it's my thank-you gift to you." She finished.

Did I really do all of that for her? I mean I don't see why I need all of this. This area was blocked off to me for almost a _year_, so she was probably working on it for that long. And if she researched beforehand, then how long did this really take?

"But, there's one I want to ask you…" she said. Ask me? I saw her blush, that instantly made me do the same thing. What was she going to ask me? **(SUSPENSE)**

She started getting all nervous; it was very… not like her.

"Mira told me a long time ago that you…_like_ me." She said. Her face was turned away from me Oh crap. Mira, why do have to do this to me? I could picture her innocent face turning into an evil one, laughing at me. Curse her.

She looked at me, her face was still red. "Is that true?" she asked

I felt my face get really warm. What was I supposed to tell her? That I've loved her for 9 years? Dang it Mira, why'd ya have to go and tell her about this?! I wonder when she told her…

"I mean, I understand if you don't want to answer; it was probably just Mira messing with me anyway. When she told me that we were still rivals so… yeah, she was probably just messing with me." She said really fast.

She really wasn't acting like herself; if she was she'd probably be grabbing onto the front of my shirt, forcing answers out of me by now. Yeah, that's what normal Erza would do.

"Well um…I should go. But I really do appreciate everything you've done for me over the years, so thank you." She said. She was starting to walk away when I somehow found something to say.

"When Mira told you that, she wasn't messing with you. I do like you, a lot; I have for awhile now." I said. I don't know where those words came from, but I'm glad I said them. Her face was _really_ red now; I didn't know where her skin ended and her hair started.

"R-really?" she seemed pretty surprised.

"Yeah, really." I said, then somethin hit me. "Hey, why _did_ you ask me that?" I asked. If she asked me that then would that mean she liked me back? Oh Mavis, I hope so.

"Well, I, um…" she mumbled. Then she shook her head.

She walked over to me and asked, "Do you know the saying 'Actions speak louder than words'?"

"Umm…yeah. But how does that have to do wi-" I was cut off by her lips. Oh my Mavis, she was kissing me. I mean, I've kissed her before-but that was when we were little; and it was on a dare-but this was different. The kiss didn't last long but, it was still a kiss. And Erza_ chose _to do it.

When she broke I was still in a daze and she wouldn't look at me. She walked away quickly and said, "Thanks for the rose by the way."

There aren't a lot of people who can get me like this but…she can.

Leave it to Erza.

**Behind a brick wall near the center of town. (Mira POV)**

Cana, Levy, Lucy, Juvia, Happy, and I were spying on Gray and Erza.

"I never realized how much Gray's done for Erza…" Lucy said. She looked touched by the whole situation.

"I can't believe Juvia had the wrong Romantic Rival the whole time!" Juvia said with tears in her eyes. Then she walked over to Lucy and started apologizing. I feel a bit bad for her, but this is a good thing; maybe she'll finally realize how perfect she is for Lyon.

"Hey Mira, remember that time 5 years ago?" Happy asked. Of course I remembered, I never thought it could get cuter than that but with what was happening right now… I don't know what's cuter. Maybe I should get Happy's advice.

"Happy, what do think is cuter, this or 5 years ago?" I ask "Definitely this." He said back. I smiled. He was right, this is cuter.

"What do you guys mean '5 years ago'?" Levy asked, saying '5 years ago' with a mysterious tone.

"Apparently, 5 years ago, Erza was crying and no one knew what to do. But then Gray came in and comforted her. I wasn't there but Mira told me about it." Cana answered.

"Yep, it was adorable. Happy was there too!" I said with my hands on my face shaking my head back and forth. "Aye!" Happy added in.

"Why does Gray-sama have to love Erza?!" Juvia said, still crying. Why _did_ she come along? I guess she just heard Gray's name and decided she should go.

And then, in the middle of our big discussion, it happened, THEY KISSED! I was fangirling so much, and there was no one to stop me; everyone else was freaking out too!

Our reactions

Me:" hcjfjfiosfjdlnvoshf*FANGASM*jkofdsjonldkf*FAINT*"

Happy: "I knew it I knew it I knew it! THEY LIIIIIIIIIKE EACH OTHER!"

Lucy: "OMM** (****O****h ****M****y ****M****avis) **what just happened? Did you see that? Did _I_ see that?"

Levy: *High-fiving Happy* Oh yeah, they do liiiiiike each other!" Happy: "Hey don't steal my thing Levy!" Levy: "Sorry..."

Cana: Oh yeah, I knew Erza had it in her! *Somehow finds alcohol from thin air* LET'S CELEBRATE!"

Juvia: NO GRAY-SAMA NOOOO! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO JUVIA?! *Raincloud appears over her head* Drip drop drip…Juvia is depressed…she can't compare to Erza…"

How Gray and Erza didn't hear them, no one knows.

END OF CHAPTER 3 AND END OF STORY

**It's finished! This was the longest chapter. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. Your complements really encouraged me throughout this-rather short-story. Even to people who didn't review my story, just the fact that you took the time to read my story makes me happy. So thank you to all reading this! R&R**


End file.
